Life on Olympus
People would look at the way our lives are, and they would think, "Oh, you have it all up there, you're rich, powerful, you've got it all." Oh man, do they have it wrong. While it is true that we ARE rich, and we have everything that our heart desires, life on Olympus isn't always a bed of roses. Anyone who thinks otherwise just doesn't seem to understand the life up there. There is a lot of work that has to be done too. I mean we do have our servants, but just because we have servants, doesn't mean there are things we don't do ourselves. For example, my talents are at painting and weaving. My cousin Iris taught me how to paint when I was three (finger paints to be sure, but paints just the same), and I began to weave when I was five years old. My weaving is pretty good today (it's not at the caliber of Mom Athena, and I know full well that it can never come up to that caliber and even then I don't want to outshine her, but it's pretty impressive for a guy of seventeen years old). People wonder what it is like living in Olympus, is it modern, or is it not? Well, it is traditional, no question on that one, but there ARE a lot of modern touches. Hermes is still the messenger of Gods, but he is also a master of telephony. He also provided all of us with cell phones (some would think that is weird for us, but trust me, we all have them). Even Hera, who swore up and down that she would never have a cell phone, has a good phone. Her ring tone for me is "summer breeze". Grandmother Hera always knew about Summer being my favorite season of the year. One thing we would always do was walk in the large formal gardens. Starting from when I was four years old, she and I would walk through the gardens of Olympus. I would always cherish those times with my grandmother. The trees and the flowers are at their most dazzling, and Grandmother Hera would show me her favorite tree. One time, Dad also showed me his sacred tree, the laurel. That tree was always sacred for Dad. He told me the story of one of the great loves of his life, a nymph named Daphne. Daphne had been shot by Eros' leaden arrows which prevented her from falling in love with anyone, but he shot Dad with one of his love arrows, and he fell for Daphne. However, Daphne ran all the way to a riverbank where she was changed into a Laurel tree. Dad was saddened, but he made the tree his sacred tree, and sometimes he wears a crown of laurel leaves. Not long after I was brought up to Olympus as a baby, everyone worked on planting a grove of trees for me. Demeter blessed the plot of land in the Olympian gardens that Grandfather Zeus set up for me. By the way, my name is Phoebus. When I was brought up to Olympus, I didn't have a name, until Athena came up with the idea that I should be called Phoebus. Dad was sometimes called Phoebus Apollo, and he was pleased that I was named after him. Since nobody knew who my real mother was, Athena decided to help Dad by stepping in and becoming my mother. Athena as a mother is sometimes stern, because she is so wise, but she is also very loving. She was the one who taught me how to weave. I call Athena, Mom, or Mother Athena. Whenever I come home from school, she is always there waiting and she loves to hear about my days in school. One thing we also have to do is make sure that our abilities are at peak perfection in the event that my great-grandparents and their allies, The Titans, would start trouble. My abilities are many, as befitting a demigod, but mostly my abilities are based on the mind and on the ability of prophecy. Since Dad is also the God of Prophecy; my chief power is prophecy. I am able to foresee things that happen before they do. People nowadays call it divination. I can also sense an opponent's moves before they can execute them, and can counter any offensive and defensive move, no matter how elaborate. I can also fire pure light from my hands, as I have the legacy of Dad and Aunt Artemis. I am also super strong, and swift (skills taught me by Hermes and Ares) and also very skilled with hunting (thanks to Aunt Artemis). I am also very skilled with the bow and arrow, thanks to Dad and Aunt Artemis, I can also track things with an incredible degree of accuracy, because of Aunt Artemis teaching me well on that one. She and I would go hunting together (I was one of the few guys she would allow to go hunt with her) and she is impressed with my ability, which she taught me to use. She said my hunting and tracking was almost on a par with her late giant friend, Orion. Zeus actually taught me how to ride Pegasus, the winged horse. Ores hates me like mad for that, because Pegasus is gentle to me, and not him! For my whole life, I was always around horses, since I helped feed Dad's sun chariot horses and Aunt Artemis's moon chariot horses. In fact, my favorite horse is my steed, Starshine. I got her as a pony from Aunt Artemis when I was a baby. She is my favorite animal, and I often spend time with her and feed her, and groom her. She is my favorite steed and I love her very much. When Dad is driving the Sun Chariot, I spend my time with Starshine before I go to school. After I feed the horses, I go to the people mover in my bedroom closet, and I travel down it in the blink of an eye, and I am at school. My best friend is a guy named Chris. He and I had been friends since we were in kindergarten together. Chris (real name Christofos) lives in the world, a world far removed from mine. But one day, after school, Chris came along as I was headed up to the gym locker where the people mover is. "Phoebus, what is that?" Chris asked me. "Well, it's time you knew," I said to my best friend, I could never lie to him; "sit down, Chris. There are some things you need to know about me." Well, we sat down and we talked for several hours. I shared with him about my growing up on Olympus and my status as a demigod. He was enthralled and he said it made no difference about who I was. He liked me for me. He wanted to join me up in Olympus, but I wasn't sure of that, because he was mainly mortal and I was a demigod. Before I went to school the next day, I talked with Grandmother Hera about it, and she told me that she and Grandfather would make sure that he would be safe, because of the glory of the Gods. Chris was given some special glasses created by my Uncle Hephaestus that would keep him from being destroyed. With that in mind, I flashed my bracelet to the lock on my locker, it opened up instantly and Chris and I were on the People Mover. Man, let me tell you, Chris was enthralled with my palace, since the people mover ended in my room. I showed him all over Olympus. Dad was around when Chris was over, and he made much of him. So did Mother Athena and Aunt Artemis. Even Grandmother Hera and Grandfather Zeus were thrilled to finally meet one of my friends. However, one was not. That was Ores. Ores just never learns. His parents went off on Grandmother and Grandfather when they threw Ores out of Olympus. They screamed and yelled that he had more rights to be there due to his being a descendant of Bellerophon. Well, that wasn't wise of them. Didn't they know that Grandmother and Grandfather would let them have it?! Well they did. Hera turned Ores' mother into a stone statue, and Zeus sent a gadfly (much like Grandmother had once done to one of Grandfather's paramours, a nymph named Io) to sting Ores' father. One of the Fates, Atropos, came by the palace one time. Now, SHE is someone who deserves respect. Atropos is the wielder of the shears that ends life. She is quite austere, and very solemn; but at times, she can also be a lot of fun. She, Clotho and Lachesis, her two sisters who spun the thread of life, and measured it respectively, sometimes babysat me when I was much younger. Atropos knew my skill at weaving and she was quite proud of my skill. So proud was she, that she brought me a small pair of safety shears. They were not as sharp as her own shears, but they were and are very precious to me. I still have them in my room. Despite my demigod status, I am just like any typical teenager. I love talking on my cell phone, although mainly I talk with Dad and the rest of my family; I love sports, which I play often with Hermes and Ares; I love my sessions in metal working with Uncle Hephaestus; I especially love my weaving sessions with Mom Athena; I love to hunt with Aunt Artemis; I love my audiences with Grandmother and Grandfather; I also love tending the hearth with Aunt Hestia (I am comfortable with her that I can call her Aunt Hestia). As I said, it is a blessing that I am an Olympian, and that I live with them. Chris was enthralled with the beauty, the pomp and the splendor of the palace, but he was also having to deal with Ores. He came storming up to me, and started to rant and rave about what Grandmother and Grandfather had done to his parents. "You brought this on yourself, Ores," I said acidly, "you ought to know not to mess with the Gods. Your parents thought they were better than my grandparents, and they got what they deserved!" Ores was not happy with that one, and he tried to go after Chris. However, Athena caught Ores trying to do that. She pointed her shuttle at Ores. "What are you doing, churl?" she said angrily. Ores was unable to speak. Mom Athena looked at Ores coldly. "If you even THINK of touching my son's friend again, you will live to regret it. What happened to your parents will PALE in comparison to what I will do to you!" Once again, Ores fled. Mom Athena helped Chris up. He stayed for dinner, and he stayed overnight. My family loved him. I stayed overnight with him once, and while I loved being with Chris in his home, I felt safer with him while he was in Olympus with me. As he was eighteen (a year older than me), his parents learned about what I was from me, and they allowed him to come to Olympus with me for good! When Chris came up the People Mover with me for good, oh, I tell you....did we have a HUGE party! My family is always known for their celebrations, I mean when we celebrate, I tell you, we celebrate, and that one was a doozy. The food flowed, Chris had a wonderful time, and I had my best friend with me. I was thrilled! By the way, Chris ate and drank some of the divine nectar and ambrosia. His blood had become divine ichor, like mine! He is now a part of us immortals! And I am pleased with that one.